Golden Beetle

Maria Hines’s second Seattle restaurant in Seattle resembles her first, Tilth, only in its near-complete use of organic ingredients. Beyond that this sky-blue Ballard storefront lit with lanterns is a world unto itself: a fertile Eastern Mediterranean world, full of straight-up renditions of hummus and kibbe meatballs and lamb tagines and more. These cuisines are rare as rhinos in this town, so her classic touch with their unique spice palettes is welcome. But the real magic happens when Hines lets fly the playful, intelligent innovation that earned her the James Beard award, in satisfying riffs on dishes like halibut falafel with chermoula, spinach-stuffed phyllo “cigars” (delish with cocktails in the sceney bar), or velvety chunks of seared albacore over pilaf and the Turkish version of aioli, tarator.